# Notion Migration Guide

Migrating content and workflows from Notion to General Bots.

<img src="../assets/gb-decorative-header.svg" alt="General Bots" style="max-height: 100px; width: 100%; object-fit: contain;">

## Overview

Notion is a collaborative workspace combining notes, databases, and project management. General Bots provides equivalent functionality through its knowledge base, task management, and AI-powered conversation features—with the added benefit of self-hosting and native automation.

## Why Migrate

| Aspect | Notion | General Bots |
|--------|--------|--------------|
| Hosting | Cloud only | Self-hosted |
| Pricing | $10-15/user/month | No per-user fees |
| AI Features | $10/user/month add-on | Native (any LLM) |
| Automation | Limited | Full BASIC scripting |
| Chat/Bot | Not included | Multi-channel |
| API Creation | Not available | Instant webhooks |
| Data Sovereignty | Their servers | Your infrastructure |

## Content Mapping

### Notion to General Bots

| Notion Feature | General Bots Equivalent |
|----------------|------------------------|
| Pages | Knowledge base documents (.gbkb) |
| Databases | Tables (CSV/database) |
| Kanban boards | Task boards |
| Calendar | Calendar API |
| Comments | Conversation history |
| Templates | Bot templates |
| Integrations | BASIC scripts + webhooks |
| Notion AI | LLM keyword |

## Migration Process

### Step 1: Export Notion Content

1. Go to Settings & Members → Settings
2. Scroll to Export content
3. Choose Export format: Markdown & CSV
4. Download the ZIP file

The export includes:
- Pages as Markdown files
- Databases as CSV files
- Attachments in folders

### Step 2: Prepare Knowledge Base

Organize exported content for General Bots:

```
my-bot.gbkb/
├── company-info/
│   ├── about.md
│   ├── policies.md
│   └── procedures.md
├── products/
│   ├── catalog.md
│   └── pricing.md
└── support/
    ├── faq.md
    └── troubleshooting.md
```

### Step 3: Import Documents

Place Markdown files in your `.gbkb` folder. General Bots automatically indexes them for RAG:

```basic
USE KB "company-info"
USE KB "products"
USE KB "support"

TALK "How can I help you?"
HEAR question
answer = LLM question
TALK answer
```

### Step 4: Convert Databases

Transform Notion CSV exports to General Bots tables:

```basic
' Import Notion database export
data = READ "notion-export/Projects.csv"

FOR EACH row IN data
    INSERT "projects", #{
        name: row["Name"],
        status: row["Status"],
        due_date: row["Due Date"],
        assignee: row["Assignee"],
        imported_at: NOW()
    }
NEXT row

TALK "Imported " + LEN(data) + " projects"
```

### Step 5: Recreate Task Boards

Convert Notion Kanban boards to General Bots task boards:

```basic
' Create project for Notion board
project_id = CREATE PROJECT "Product Roadmap" WITH DESCRIPTION "Migrated from Notion"

' Import tasks
tasks = READ "notion-export/Roadmap.csv"

FOR EACH task IN tasks
    status = SWITCH task["Status"]
        CASE "Not Started" : "todo"
        CASE "In Progress" : "in_progress"
        CASE "Done" : "done"
        DEFAULT : "todo"
    END SWITCH
    
    CREATE TASK task["Name"] IN PROJECT project_id WITH STATUS status
NEXT task
```

## Notion AI to General Bots

### Document Summarization

**Notion AI:**
- Highlight text → "Summarize"
- Limited to Notion content

**General Bots:**
```basic
USE KB "documents"
summary = LLM "Summarize the key points from our Q3 report"
TALK summary
```

### Content Generation

**Notion AI:**
- Type `/ai` → Generate content
- Basic prompting

**General Bots:**
```basic
SET CONTEXT "You are a technical writer. Write clear, concise documentation."

TALK "What would you like me to write?"
HEAR topic

content = LLM "Write comprehensive documentation about: " + topic
WRITE "/docs/" + SLUGIFY(topic) + ".md", content
TALK "Documentation created!"
```

### Q&A on Documents

**Notion AI:**
- Ask questions about page content
- Single page context

**General Bots:**
```basic
' Load entire knowledge base
USE KB "all-docs"
USE KB "wiki"
USE KB "procedures"

' Answer questions across all content
TALK "Ask me anything about our documentation"
HEAR question
answer = LLM question
TALK answer
```

## Automation Migration

### Notion Automations (Limited)

Notion has basic automations for:
- Status changes
- Due date reminders
- Slack notifications

### General Bots Equivalent

**Status change automation:**
```basic
ON "table:projects:update"
    IF params.old_status <> params.new_status THEN
        IF params.new_status = "complete" THEN
            SEND MAIL TO params.owner_email SUBJECT "Project Completed" BODY "Your project " + params.name + " is now complete!"
        END IF
    END IF
END ON
```

**Due date reminders:**
```basic
SET SCHEDULE "every day at 9am"

upcoming = FIND "tasks", "due_date = DATEADD(NOW(), 1, 'day') AND status <> 'done'"

FOR EACH task IN upcoming
    SEND MAIL TO task.assignee_email SUBJECT "Task Due Tomorrow" BODY "Reminder: " + task.name + " is due tomorrow"
NEXT task
```

**Slack notifications:**
```basic
ON "table:tasks:insert"
    POST "https://hooks.slack.com/services/xxx", #{
        text: "New task created: " + params.name,
        channel: "#tasks"
    }
END ON
```

## Database Migration

### Notion Database Properties

| Notion Property | General Bots Equivalent |
|-----------------|------------------------|
| Title | TEXT column |
| Text | TEXT column |
| Number | NUMERIC column |
| Select | TEXT with validation |
| Multi-select | JSONB array |
| Date | DATE/TIMESTAMP column |
| Person | User reference |
| Files | File path references |
| Checkbox | BOOLEAN column |
| URL | TEXT column |
| Email | TEXT column |
| Phone | TEXT column |
| Formula | Computed in BASIC |
| Relation | Foreign key |
| Rollup | AGGREGATE queries |

### Formula Migration

**Notion formula:**
```
prop("Price") * prop("Quantity")
```

**General Bots:**
```basic
' Calculate on insert/update
total = price * quantity
INSERT "orders", #{item: item, price: price, quantity: quantity, total: total}

' Or query with calculation
SELECT "*, price * quantity as total FROM orders"
```

### Relation Migration

**Notion relations** link databases together.

**General Bots:**
```basic
' Create related tables
CREATE TABLE "projects" (id, name, status)
CREATE TABLE "tasks" (id, project_id, name, assignee)

' Query with join
tasks = FIND "tasks", "project_id = '" + project_id + "'"

' Or use JOIN keyword
result = JOIN "projects", "tasks", "projects.id = tasks.project_id"
```

## Template Migration

### Notion Templates

Notion templates are pre-filled pages. Convert to General Bots templates:

**Meeting notes template → BASIC script:**
```basic
' meeting-notes.bas
PARAM meeting_title AS string
PARAM attendees AS string
PARAM date AS date

DESCRIPTION "Create meeting notes document"

template = "# " + meeting_title + "

**Date:** " + FORMAT(date, "MMMM d, yyyy") + "
**Attendees:** " + attendees + "

## Agenda
1. 
2. 
3. 

## Discussion Notes


## Action Items
- [ ] 
- [ ] 

## Next Meeting
"

WRITE "/meetings/" + FORMAT(date, "yyyy-MM-dd") + "-" + SLUGIFY(meeting_title) + ".md", template
TALK "Meeting notes created: " + meeting_title
```

### Project Template

```basic
' new-project.bas
PARAM project_name AS string
PARAM owner AS string

DESCRIPTION "Create new project with standard structure"

project_id = CREATE PROJECT project_name WITH DESCRIPTION "Created by template"
ADD USER TO PROJECT project_id, owner, "owner"

' Create standard tasks
CREATE TASK "Define requirements" IN PROJECT project_id
CREATE TASK "Create timeline" IN PROJECT project_id
CREATE TASK "Assign resources" IN PROJECT project_id
CREATE TASK "Kickoff meeting" IN PROJECT project_id
CREATE TASK "First milestone review" IN PROJECT project_id

TALK "Project '" + project_name + "' created with 5 starter tasks"
```

## What You Gain

### Self-Hosting
Your data stays on your infrastructure. No concerns about Notion's data practices or service availability.

### Native AI Without Extra Cost
Notion charges $10/user/month for AI features. General Bots includes AI at no additional cost—use any LLM provider.

### Full Automation
Go beyond Notion's limited automations with complete BASIC scripting:

```basic
SET SCHEDULE "every monday at 9am"

' Generate weekly report
projects = FIND "projects", "status = 'active'"
tasks_completed = AGGREGATE "tasks", "COUNT", "id", "completed_at > DATEADD(NOW(), -7, 'day')"

SET CONTEXT "You are a project manager. Create a concise weekly summary."
report = LLM "Summarize: " + LEN(projects) + " active projects, " + tasks_completed + " tasks completed this week"

SEND MAIL TO "team@company.com" SUBJECT "Weekly Project Summary" BODY report
```

### Multi-Channel Access
Access your knowledge base through any channel:

```basic
' Same bot works on web, WhatsApp, Teams, Slack
TALK "How can I help you today?"
HEAR question

USE KB "company-wiki"
answer = LLM question
TALK answer
```

### Custom APIs
Create APIs instantly—something not possible in Notion:

```basic
WEBHOOK "project-status"

project = FIND "projects", "id = '" + params.id + "'"
tasks = FIND "tasks", "project_id = '" + params.id + "'"

WITH response
    .project = project
    .task_count = LEN(tasks)
    .completed = LEN(FILTER(tasks, "status = 'done'"))
END WITH
```

## Migration Checklist

### Pre-Migration

- [ ] Export all Notion content (Markdown & CSV)
- [ ] Inventory databases and their properties
- [ ] Document active integrations
- [ ] Identify critical templates
- [ ] Set up General Bots environment

### Migration

- [ ] Organize Markdown files into .gbkb structure
- [ ] Import database CSVs to tables
- [ ] Convert formulas to BASIC calculations
- [ ] Recreate task boards as projects
- [ ] Migrate templates to BASIC scripts
- [ ] Set up automations

### Post-Migration

- [ ] Verify all content is searchable
- [ ] Test database queries
- [ ] Confirm automations work
- [ ] Train team on new interface
- [ ] Redirect any Notion integrations

## Best Practices

**Organize knowledge base thoughtfully.** Group related documents in collections for better RAG results.

**Simplify database structures.** Notion encourages complex relations; General Bots works best with cleaner schemas.

**Leverage AI for migration.** Use General Bots' LLM to help transform and summarize Notion content:

```basic
content = READ "notion-export/long-document.md"
summary = LLM "Create a concise summary of this document: " + content
WRITE "/summaries/document-summary.md", summary
```

**Keep templates as scripts.** BASIC templates are more powerful than Notion's static templates.

## See Also

- [Knowledge Base](../chapter-03/README.md) - KB configuration
- [Projects](../chapter-11-features/projects.md) - Project management
- [Template Variables](../chapter-06-gbdialog/template-variables.md) - Dynamic content
- [Platform Comparison](./comparison-matrix.md) - Full feature comparison